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Loveland fireworks venue change suggested

Proposal would move annual Fourth of July celebration from Lake Loveland to The Ranch

By Tom Hacker Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
12/04/2012 11:19:11 AM MST

Fireworks shooting off from North Lake Park. (Justin King)

Public safety, and that of police officers assigned to guard it, are driving a proposal to move Loveland's Fourth of July fireworks celebration from North Lake Park to The Ranch, Larimer County's fairgrounds complex.

A city task force made up of police, fire and parks officials has been discussing the idea, and a memo in advance of a Tuesday meeting of members of that group outlines its rationale.

The memo from Loveland Police Lt. Leslie Young is titled "Proposal to relocate 4th of July venue."

The document says the event's growth over the past few years at the 35-acre park "has brought the realization that North Lake Park may no longer be a family-friendly venue for our annual Fourth of July celebration."

Young supported the assertion with documents including a transcript of a police dispatch recording made late last July 4, detailing how a Loveland officer found herself surrounded by a rowdy crowd and felt compelled to draw her gun to ward them away.

Growing Crowds

Young's memo says the fireworks venue "is too small for the crowd that has gathered the last few years. Safety of our citizens and the safety of our city personnel is becoming increasingly difficult to provide."

Young was off duty and not available to comment on her memo. Likewise, Loveland Fire Marshal Merlin Green, a member of the task force, was on vacation Monday and unavailable.

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The decades-long tradition of Lake Loveland fireworks shows has been nearly iconic in the city, and the displays have been among the region's most heavily attended.

City Manager Bill Cahill said Monday that the venue-change idea was "in the earliest stages of discussion" and that it was far from reaching the realm of public decision-making.

'Simply An Idea'

"This is not a proposal that anyone will be taking to the City Council, and it may not ever be," Cahill said. "It is simply an idea that's being discussed."

July's on-again, off-again fireworks display -- threatened by bans on open fires and fireworks during the most destructive wildfire season in Colorado history -- meant a larger-than-usual crowd assembled for Loveland's show.

Fireworks displays had been canceled in neighboring Fort Collins and Longmont, and Young's memo says a Loveland Fire and Rescue crowd estimate put the number of people in North Lake Park at 30,000.

In 2010 and 2011, the numbers were 19,000 and 21,000, respectively.

The fragmented dispatch transcript describes fights breaking out among members of an unruly crowd near the North Lake Park amphitheater, and how a lone Loveland officer felt threatened by their numbers and called for assistance.

'Mortal Jeopardy'

"The officer calling for help had a crowd of over

50 surrounding her and did not come to her aid," Young's memo says. "Rather she felt in mortal jeopardy and drew her weapon to keep them at bay until help arrived."

The memo compares the 2012 event to the relatively placid events described in incident reports generated after 2010 and 2011 fireworks displays.

For example, Lt. Jan Bureson's 2011 report says, "The event itself was uneventful in regard to law enforcement. No one was arrested and only a few people were asked to leave the park due to law enforcement contacts."

By contrast, four people were arrested last summer and officers "responded to several physical and verbal disturbances," according to an after-action report Young filed on July 12.

The same report noted the growing crowds at the North Lake Park venue, and a number of "close calls" involving event traffic.

"While conducive to setting off fireworks, it may not be the best place to hold such a large event," Young wrote. "I would suggest looking at The Ranch as a possibility. There would be ample parking and it is already set up for heavy traffic flows."

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